Most kindergartens in Zimbabwe care for children in the classic way, meaning even the youngest ones are taught and cared for via mass education – learning by repetition, not based on their own experience.
In contrast, at Bongai Shamwari we teach by the principle “Help me to do it myself.” This Montessori notion is an important aspect of our pedagogic concept. Free Play and Activities such as shared cooking help children to grow self-reliantly, and to learn to question and think critically. To avoid complicating the transition to a public school for our children we integrate Montessori principles with elements of classic kindergarten work. Hence our children are able to sing the national anthem beautifully as a choir – without understanding the lyrics.
The kindergarten is situated in Chikanga, a densely populated suburb of Mutare. Many people, dusty roads and unfortunately also large amounts of garbage mark the scenery. Our house, featuring four rooms, kitchen, toilets and bathroom has been rebuilt to become suitable for use as a kindergarten.
Diet, hygiene, social interaction and engagement with nature are important topics in every day life at the kindergarten. Music and art are thoroughly integrated in our daily routine. Meals are almost entirely home-made: bread-baking, yoghurt made from fresh local milk, vegetables from the garden, herbs from our raised beds. The wheat is sourced from a local farmer.
The building is surrounded by a small garden and courtyard. Many fun and creative play structures built by our artist Tatenda invite the kids to play. As of now we are still renting the adjacent big garden from the town of Mutare which we use to cultivate foods.
Towards the end of 2018 we were able to acquire the kindergarten property. In addition we began to rent the adjacent garden from the town of Mutare. Currently we are negotiating the possibility of purchasing that property too. Despite economic and political challenges we would like to remain a reliable partner to our staff, their families and other collaborators and partners of the project.
At MutARE Tales we believe in the transformative power of the arts. The project is rooted in the cultural diversity of Zimbabwe. Our goal is to provide a platform for talented young artists to grow and leave a lasting impression while attaining economic self-sufficiency. With a strong focus on creativity and collaboration, as well as the preservation of Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage MutARE Tales aims to support artists in their endeavour to earn a livelihood through their talents.
His focus on rare wooden art makes Tatenda Gwarada an extraordinary artist. He is indued with a deep-rooted feeling for the aliveness of wood. In fact he says the wood speaks to him. His art works reflect that intimate relationship. We are providing his work place in the garden area of the kindergarten, and support him in the marketing of his art which is much appreciated in Germany. Especially his individually designed birds are one of a kind and sought-after.
Philipp Kusasa of the Art and Craft Center in Chikore has acquired specific seeds of indigenous tress from which he grows seedlings with the aim to sustainably and effectively reforest the area. We at the kindergarten participate too, and have already raised around 100 seedlings together with our children. Some of the donation money has been used for this project. Additional reforestation measures are in preparation.
Philipp Kusasa is also the director of the Ndau Art and Craft Project Chikore. 2000 Ndau People gather during the yearly festival to celebrate and develop their traditions, dance and art – a monumental effort for such a small organisation carried by dedicated volunteer-based commitment of the local people, spearheaded by Philipp Kusasa.
